More than 120 children and parents participated in the Story Time Reading Program, sponsored by the Malcolm Purvis Library, last school year. Program Coordinator Beverly Taylor, known as “Aunt Bea,” celebrated the end-of-year graduation event recently with an ice cream party. Children participated in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, song and story time, crafts and snacks. Pictured, children and parents created a “stained glass” craft supervised by Taylor (center, end of table). The library will host a Summer Reading Program for all ages through July 11.
Photo by Cari Herr

Heartbeat Festival lays foundation for future events

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

Last week’s Tomball Heartbeat Festival was such a success, event organizers are hoping the festival has laid the groundwork for similar city events in the future.

Michael Richards of Vivia’s Kitchen and Catering cooked for festivalgoers at the Tomball Heartbeat Festival. The event was held as part of the city’s year-long 100th birthday celebration.
Photo by Brian Walzel

“I think it laid the foundation for larger events in the future,” said Grounds Committee Chairwoman Barbara Tague. “Tomball is ready for it.”

According to Centennial Commission President Diane Holland, attendance figures for the three-day event are nearing the goal of 15,000 attendees.

“We’re counting fingers and toes,” Holland said during a June 4 city council meeting.

The event was one of many scheduled this year to celebrate the city’s 100th birthday. Over three days, festivalgoers were treated to games, food, entertainment and live music. The show’s headlining event was a performance by Texas country music artist and Corpus Christi native Roger Creager on June 2.

“Saturday night was amazing,” Tague said.

Other performers included the Randy Rogers Band, Stoney LaRue and Tomball’s own Eli Young Band, who headlined the June 1 concert.

Tague said that while she wasn’t particularly familiar with many of the artists who performed, she left impressed.

“It turned out really well,” she said. “I enjoyed all of the music. They were great.”

While many concerns go along with putting together an event of this magnitude, the biggest threat to the event turned out to be Mother Nature.

In the days leading up to the festival, torrential downpours soaked the Wayne Stovall Memorial Sports Complex, the site of the event. Crews had to slosh through ankle-deep mud to assemble food and beverage stands, performance stages and carnival rides.

But as the week leading up to the festival stayed dry, crews managed to get things in place.

“We were able to get the grounds stabilized,” Tague said.

Once the rain abated, the heat began to take its toll, sending hundreds in search for shade and water.

“It was extremely hot,” Tague added.

Despite the temperamental weather, city crews and volunteers plodded on to make the event a successful one. Both Tague and Holland praised all of those who worked before, during and after the festival.

“I cannot believe the efforts the city made to make this a success,” Tague said.

At the council meeting, Holland publicly thanked the Tomball Police Department, Northwest EMS, the Tomball Fire Department and the many volunteers who worked long hours for the festival.

“The volunteers really outdid themselves,” Holland said.

Pictured, former Tomball High School student Kaci St. John with her new 2007 Dodge truck, donated by Tomball Dodge. St. John was selected from about 50 Tomball High School students last month in a drawing to win the truck. The contest was for seniors who achieved high grades. St. John plans to attend Tomball College in the fall.
Photo by Brian Walzel

Capital campaign kicks off for at-risk teen girls residential counseling center

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

A grassroots effort has started in south Montgomery County to establish a residential treatment center for at-risk teenage girls combined with an equine farm called The Diamond Star Ranch.

A capital fundraising and public awareness campaign is underway for the planned 100-acre facility, said Diamond Star’s Vice President of Public Relations Paul Armento.

A live and silent auction, including lunch by donation, is scheduled for June 15 at 11:30 a.m. at Fleming’s Steakhouse, located at 1201 Lake Woodlands Dr.

Among auction items are a $4,000 lasik procedure and two tickets to a sold-out Kenney Chesney concert at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion the same evening.

The guest speaker for the luncheon is Kay Haugen, author of “From the Poorhouse to the Penthouse.”

The board of directors of The Diamond Star Ranch has something more in common than a cause. Each of them has at one time lost a child, either physically or emotionally.

“My son inspired me to initiate this program,” said Founder and CEO Jim Stiffler.

When Stiffler sought services in Montgomery County, he found little support to unify an estranged child with their parents.

“This is the driving force behind this program,” he said.

The program will mirror the services of Miracle Farm in Brenham, a residential boys counseling center, and the funding mechanism of the Methodist Children’s Home in Waco, which has a $325 million endowment.

Diamond Star and Miracle Farm have partnered to establish the program and are seeking as much as $60 million in endowments to fund it.

“We’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” said Stiffler. “We will use proven high-success rate programs combining troubled kids with horses to create a healing environment.”

Diamond Star Ranch is a non-profit facility headquartered in The Woodlands with a vision to provide spiritually based programs for at-risk teen girls. For more information, log on to www.DiamondStarRanchYouth.com.

Officer Albert Chambers and Detective John Freeman were named Tomball Police Department’s May 2007 Officers of the Month. They were presented the award at the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce’s First Friday Luncheon June 1. Pictured (from left to right), State Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, Capt. Rick Grassi, Chambers, Freeman, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, Woodforest Bank’s George Arnau, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan and Senator Dan Patrick.
Photo by Brian Walzel

TTC legislation a hollow victory for Waller County residents

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Some Waller County residents called recent legislation affecting the Trans-Texas Corridors a “hollow victory” at a town meeting held on June 1 where Congressman Michael McCaul was the guest speaker.

While the Waller County Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) sponsored the meeting, members of the Waller Area Chamber of Commerce (WACC) and Citizens for a Better Waller County (CBWC) and other residents attended the meeting for a Congressional update on the results of Texas’ 80th Legislature.

However, as the U.S. Representative for District 10, McCaul spent most of his time fielding questions concerning the recently passed legislation that impacts the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) projects, and the effect that legislation may have on border control and immigration reform.

Of greatest concern was the passage of Senate Bill 792, which places a two-year hold on comprehensive development agreements (CDAs) between public-private partnerships (PPPs).

After it became clear to TTC opponents that House Bill 1892 would be vetoed by Governor Rick Perry, Senate Bill 792 was filed providing for fewer restrictions on Regional Mobility Authorities (RMAs), but still placing a hold on PPP funding, pending a committee review.

“It was a compromise TTC proponents could afford, since construction on the TTC portion of 69 won’t begin for at least two years anyway,” said CBWC Treasurer Trey Duhon.

The bill provides a small victory for TTC-69 opponents in deterring private funding from foreign investors, while delaying construction.

However, it did nothing to deter construction on portions of TTC-35 already underway that is protected by existing contracts referred to as facility agreements.

Despite the passing of the senate bill, “it was a hollow victory,” said Jennifer Duhon, board member of the CBWC.

SB792 allows RMAs, such as Harris County Toll-Road Authority and North Texas Toll-Road Authority in Dallas, to continue with project developments.

“HB1892 was a stronger bill, but it was not going to get pass Perry, so SB792 was the compromise, albeit one-sided,” said CBWC President Don Garrett.

McCaul does not support funding tied to the TTCs and openly rebuked TxDOT in its handling of corridor issues.

“TxDOT has mismanaged this issue, striking fear into farmers and ranchers by threatening to confiscate their private property,” he said.

Residents expressed concerns that a completed corridor would allow Mexican drug cartel controlled freight haulers access to an established inland Mexican port prior to customs inspections, providing a larger mechanism for drug trafficking and terrorist invasion.

Resident Bob Humphrey said, “We have a war on two fronts; terrorist and border control. The loss of either one will change the character of the country to an unrecognizable state for our children and grandchildren.”

McCaul is a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, Science and Technology, a subcommittee of the Republican Committee on Homeland Security.

The subcommittee published a comprehensive report in 2006 titled “A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border.” The report reveals drug trafficking, drug cartels, and terrorist activities threatening the southern border of the United States.

McCaul said he was “seeking a vehicle to bring new interest to the report,” and that his priority was to eradicate the Mexican drug cartels and secure the borders, citing the more than 370 miles of fencing currently being constructed in border areas.

“If the cartels control the corridors, the intersection between the cartels and the corridor is a dangerous one. I work everyday against that,” he said.

McCaul, who opposed the immigration reform bill, summarized the issue.

“It’s a product of 20 years of neglect,” he said. “In 1984 we gave (illegal aliens) amnesty, but did not control the borders. Giving blanket amnesty to 15 million people is not what the (residents) in my district are supporting.”

The ComQuest Academy charter high school in Tomball held its graduation ceremony on May 22. The graduates were (pictured) Ashley Beltz, Ricki Cashion, Amber Cousins, Cristina De La Rosa, Adan Garza, Stephanie de la Riva, Jennifer Hopkins, Abigail Imbornone, Blake King, Brittnee Marshall, Clara Nollkamper, Joshua Preston, Michael Stanley, Kasie Wilkerson, Richard Yockey. ComQuest opened in 1999. Since opening, ComQuest has graduated 251 students. This year marks the 16th class of graduates. ComQuest Academy is a tuition-free high school offering students an innovative program leading to a high school diploma.
Submitted Photo

Health officials warn of swimming dangers after recent drownings

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

With the recent drownings of five Houston area children, one of which was a 3-year-old in the Tomball area, local health officials are warning parents of the dangers of swimming.

So far this year, 10 Houston area children have drowned in apartment or backyard pools, lakes, ponds or rivers. Last year, there were 24 such drownings.

Capt. Jeremy Winton of Northwest EMS said the best deterrent to child drownings is supervision.

“Never leave small children unsupervised, even for a few seconds,” he said. “There is no substitute for adequate supervision.”

Even children who can swim should be constantly supervised.

At the time of accidents one or both parents were supervising most victims, according to recent drowning and submersion accident data released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Approximately 75 percent of drowning victims studied by the CPSC were between the ages of 1- and 3-years-old.

The report showed that pool submersions happen quickly and in familiar areas, usually in pools or other standing water at home or a relative’s home. Approximately 77 percent of the victims had been missing from sight for five minutes or less.

Winton also suggests putting fencing around the pool area to keep people from using the pool without permission.

Time is of the essence in saving a child who may be drowning.

According to the CPSC, “survival depends on rescuing the children quickly and restarting the breathing process, even while the child is still in the water. Seconds count in preventing death or brain damage.”

Winton also said that while providing swimming lessons to children at an early age could help prevent drownings, children who can swim are also at risk.

“Don’t let them out of your site, even children who can swim,” he said.

The CPSC warns that a child drowning is a “silent death.”

“You will not hear splashing to alert anyone that a child (or adult) is drowning” the report said.

The Health of Harris County

Annual report reveals thousands of potential undiagnosed HIV cases

By Brian Walzel
Tribune Staff

Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES) recently released its 2006 Annual Report, which reveals details of the overall health and well being of citizens of Harris County. One of the more alarming statistics shows that there may be more than 4,000 undiagnosed cases of AIDS or HIV in Harris County. The report also revealed that the county repeatedly has days of unsafe air quality. The report is an accumulation of information from various surveys, professional reports, and databases from across the county, state and nation. It is used to help identify and address specific deficiencies in public health and as a tool for health professionals to combat community health problems. The following is according to the 2006 HCPHES Annual Report:

Leading Causes of Death

In 2004, the most recent year for which comprehensive vital statistics are available, there were 20,193 deaths in Harris County. The leading cause of death was heart disease, with more than one in every four deaths attributed to diseases of the heart. Heart diseases caused 5,167 deaths, cancer 4,526 deaths, stroke 1,330 and accidents 1,146. According to the report, there were 366 homicides in the county in 2004.

HIV and AIDS

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSDS), through December of 2005 there were 17,049 Harris County residents living with HIV and AIDS. However, this number is likely an underestimate, the report states, because it may not include those diagnosed with HIV before 1999, but whose status has not yet progressed to AIDS. In addition, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that up to one-quarter of HIV/AIDS infections are undiagnosed. According to the report, it is possible that more than 4,200 people in Harris County are infected with HIV but do not know it.

Cancer

Cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S., is responsible for almost one in four deaths in Harris County. TDSHS reports that from 1999 to 2003, the number of newly diagnosed cancer cases among Harris County residents was 59,287. During this time, the cancer rate was 451.8 cases per 100,000 persons.

West Nile

In 2006, there 68 confirmed cases of West Nile, up from 42 in 2005. Five of those in 2006 resulted in deaths, four more than the previous year.

Tuberculosis

According to TDSD, 379 new cases of TB were diagnosed in Harris County in 2005 – a rate of 10.2 per 100,000 persons, more than twice the national rate of 4.8 cases per 100,000 persons and over 50 percent higher than the state rate of 6.7 per 100,000 persons.

Teen Pregnancy

The TDSHS data shows that there were 2,961 births to mothers under the age of 18 in Harris County in 2003, which represents 4.4 percent of all Harris County births. The state rate is 5.1 percent and the national rate is 3.4 percent. The trend has declined steadily since 1994, when the rate was 6.3 percent.

Pregnancy Outcomes

Infant mortality is one of the most important indicators of community health. The CDC reported that the U.S. infant mortality rate increased 3 percent from 2001 to 2002, the first increase since 1958. This increase was reflected locally, as well. In 2004, there were 463 deaths among infants under age one in Harris County, a rate of 6.6 deaths per 1,000 births, a number that remained unchanged from 2003, but an increase from 6.3 in 2002.

Clean Air

Air quality in the region that includes Harris County does not meet EPA standards. In 2006, there were 42 days during which the region exceeded the 8-hour ozone standard. The EPA mandates that ozone levels exceeding .08 parts per million for 8 hours provides for elevated levels of ground level ozone.

Drinking Water

Within Harris County, there are approximately 1,200 public drinking water systems. In 2006, four systems, serving a total of 7,515 Harris County residents, exceeded EPA standards for radium 226 and 228. Long-term consumption can lead to cancer risks. Two public water systems, serving a total of 3,138 county residents exceeded EPA standards for arsenic.

Food Safety

In 2006, HCPHES identified 1,584 food establishments in unincorporated Harris County and 16 municipalities within the county that required follow-up inspection, meaning that critical food safety violations were identified at routine inspections. This represents 9.4 percent of the 16,687 food establishment inspections conducted in 2006. In addition, HCPHES issued 76 warnings and 132 citations to food establishment operators for failing to comply with food safety guidelines.

New central fire station coming to Magnolia

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

Chief Gary Vincent of the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) is excited about Department 18’s new Central Fire Station.

Chief Gary Vincent

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a facility the community can be proud of,” said Vincent.

The new central station will sit at the corner of Buddy Riley Blvd. and Brantley Road on 3.5 acres. The station is planned to be a 30,000 square-foot single-story facility with five bays.

Station 1 will be the central headquarters for Department 18 of Emergency Services District 10 (ESD 10) and will include administrative offices, indoor and outdoor facilities for field training, and a full kitchen.

“It will be a multi-use fire station the community can benefit from for the next 40 years,” Vincent said.

It will not only house Station 1 engines and firemen, but also provide a maintenance shop, an SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) air facility, space for Emergency Management Services (EMS) and an exercise room open to all local law enforcement agencies.

The Class A commercial building design can withstand 120 mile-per-hour winds and provide emergency generator power for disaster relief with a 6,000-person capacity.

Vincent applied for a pre-disaster mitigation grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in January with hopes that the new structure could be upgraded to a community storm shelter designed to withstand 200 mile-per-hour tornado winds.

“The ability to shelter people in a 200 mile-per-hour wind is essential for this part of the county,” Vincent said.

Of the 43 grants submitted to the state, 22 were forwarded to FEMA for review. Despite a priority three ranking by the state, funding from FEMA focused on flood area property buyouts to prevent future construction. As a result, the grant was not awarded by FEMA for the 2007 funding year.

Despite the lack of grant funding, ESD10 has acquired up to $5 million in available funding for district improvements, including construction costs for the new station.

The new central station will be the cornerstone of the MVFD in the coming decades with a traditional design reflecting the heritage of the community, said Vincent. “It will be a showcase to attract new business to the area.”

Dangerous intersection marks high accident trend, sends four to hospital

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

The intersection of FM 1488 and Roy St. is a dangerous one and officers respond to traffic accidents regularly there, according to Lt. Bo Crabtree of the Magnolia Police Department (MPD).

The afternoon of May 31 was no different when four people were sent to the hospital following a three-car accident.

Around 3 p.m. a Silverado pickup truck, driven by a 32-year-old Navasota woman, was traveling east on FM 1488 with her 6-year-old daughter in the back seat.

A rise in the road at the 17000 block of FM 1488 diminishes visibility at the intersection, said Crabtree, and there are no signs that warn of an upcoming intersection.

Coming over the rise, the pickup truck driver failed to control the vehicle’s speed and struck a 1999 Accord, whose 17-year-old driver was stopped in the road while attempting to make a left turn at Roy St.

The impact pushed the Accord into westbound traffic and the Accord collided head on with a 2003 Toyota Highlander, driven by a 30-year-old College Station man.

The Highlander was forced backward by the impact onto the westbound grassy median.

MPD Officer Dorothy Evans responded to the accident and reported that all of the drivers and passengers were wearing seatbelts and received no disabling injuries.

Evans called Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) to the scene, which transported the driver of the pickup and her 6-year-old daughter to The Woodlands Hermann Memorial Hospital for examination.

The drivers of the Accord and Highlander were both taken to Tomball Regional Hospital by MCHD, where they were later released.

“Accidents occur at the intersection on a regular basis. There is a need for a left hand turn lane and review of state regulations there,” said Crabtree.

Both of these men were in the same operating room 50 years ago. Claude Swonke of Tomball (left) was an 11-year-old patient having open-heart surgery and Dr. Denton Cooley (right) was the surgeon who saved his life. When Swonke came back to Texas Children's Hospital to reminisce with the famed surgeon, he brought along the suitcase in which he had brought his clothes to the hospital. Dr. Cooley produced Swonke's 50-year-old medical records. Submitted Photo

Magnolia couple washed away by floodwaters, saved by search and rescue teams

By Cari Herr
Tribune Staff

In the early morning hours of May 26, efforts by local search and rescue teams saved the lives of a man and woman whose pickup truck was washed off Clear Creek bridge by rushing storm water.

Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department, Tri-County Volunteer Fire Department and the Waller County Sheriff’s Department were all dispatched by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for a water rescue just before dawn.

Storm run-off from heavy rains the day before had swelled the banks of the usually calm Clear Creek covering the bridge, spilling into the roadway, and making water locked islands of the homes along the creek.

Hazardous driving conditions and unsafe bridge crossings brought MVFD’s Chief Kevin Walters and the Zodiac, a search and rescue boat, along with a half-dozen firemen to the crossing at north Clear Creek Road at Magnolia Road.

“The creeks were out of their banks in Clear Creek Forest,” said Walters.

A 19-year-old woman was found sitting on top of the cab of the pickup truck that her 23-year-old male companion had been driving just moments before. The truck was lodged against the bank, surrounded by rushing water.

The driver had been washed downstream. Tri-County firemen assisted MVFD firemen in searching the banks for the lost man. He was found clinging to a branch.

Walters said the man reportedly had weakened against the onslaught of moving water and had slipped once from a previous grip on tree roots.

The Zodiac was placed in the water and the man was brought to shore, said Walters. The Zodiac then returned for the woman and brought her safely to shore.

“The man was hypothermic and his body temperature was at 90 degrees,” Walters said.

Both were treated by Waller County Medic 20 Emergency Services Personnel (EMS), but refused transport to a hospital, said Waller County EMS Supervisor Pat Casey. The two waited at the scene for family members to pick them up.

Tri-County firemen, Magnolia firemen and Waller EMS personnel then searched house to house along the creek, wading and boating through high water to check on area residents.

One family of four was found stranded in their home by high floodwaters, said Casey. The water had crested and begun receding and the family chose to stay in their home.

As much as a half-inch of water had seeped into some homes, but no other residents were found stranded during the search.